Traffic Alert: SB I-5 Reduced To Two Lanes This Weekend

SEATTLE (CBS) — Bad news, Seattleites: you can expect another traffic nightmare this weekend — this time, near Southcenter mall in Tukwila.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced Wednesday there will be major work on I-5. This weekend will be the first of three weekend closures, where I-5 Southbound between South 188th Street and South 219th Street will be reduced to just two lanes.

“It’s nice that we’ve got so many years out of it,” a representative said of the 50-year-old freeway. “But we want to keep it functioning.”

The department has to make the repairs during the summer, since the dry weather will mean less problems laying asphalt.

“We’re going to see congestion all over the place. Drivers can help — they can take the alternate routes, they can think about carpooling [and] vanpooling. So, plan ahead.”

Drivers are encouraged to take Highway 509 and SR-99 or SR-167 as alternate routes.

According to The Seattle Times, the road work is part of a 13-mile, $27 million project that will be completed by 2017.